Can I Get A Hot Tub?
by IronAmerica
Summary: Danny remembers every bath he's had since the Militia abducted him. Rated for some minor language.


Hey, it's a new story! Danny remembers every bath he's had since the Militia kidnapped him.

Un-beta'ed, so quibble away.

- o – o -

Can I Get A Hot Tub?*

Danny remembers every bath he's had since becoming a guest of the Monroe Republic.

The first one was a few days after his abduction, and two days (he thinks) after he was recaptured at Grace's home. One of the soldiers hauled him off the wagon by his shirt front and dragged him over to the river they were camped next to. Danny hadn't been sure what the man wanted, and had actually been about to start crying when the man pointed a gun at him and told him to strip his clothes off. He was pathetically relieved when the man gave him a wash cloth and a bar of soap, and ordered him to scrub down. (Danny had grown up hearing stories about what the Militia did to prisoners, regardless of gender. The younger the prisoner was—up to a point, since the soldiers weren't _entirely_ animals—the more likely it was that they were going to be raped.)

The second one came at dawn, the day after Richards attacked him and proved every horror story Danny had ever heard about the militia was true. He sat on the bank of the lake, scrubbing until his skin is raw (_dirtybadwrongstupidweak_). If the soldier guarding him—not Richards, or Danny never would have been able to undress, and even then he's sure the bruises (_goodboyrightthere_stopmoving) on his hips are showing—notices anything wrong, he doesn't say. Danny's grateful for that.

His third bath was in Noblesville. Neville informed him that he smelled like a horse, before dragging him off to the bathhouse in town. Danny's grateful that the finger-shaped bruises on his thighs and hips have faded since the attack. The only injury Neville has to see is the one he caused. He doesn't know if the captain ordered the attack or not, but he doesn't want to ask. The water is hot, and the soap isn't lye—it smells like roses (_mummygoodhomesafetycomfort_), and Danny's grateful for that. It doesn't sting when he rubs the lather onto the cuts around his wrists and ankles from where he pulled at the shackles.

Danny doesn't really remember much after his arrival in Philadelphia. He's forced to sit in front of a strange woman while Sergeant Strausser tortures him; General Monroe asks her for names, but she doesn't know and the abuse continues. Bathing is, as far as Danny can pick out from the blur, getting a few buckets of ice-cold or boiling-hot water dumped over his head to get the worst of the blood and accumulated filth of prison off his skin.

There are a few actual baths he can remember, though. Most of them took place in a room lit with hundreds of candles. A woman runs a razor over his face to get rid of the stubble, and helps him wash his back. Danny, after he realizes just why he's being treated so well, begins to hate those moments enough that the guards have to put him in restraints, just to get him out of his cell. Those are the nights he visits _him_ (_dirtystupidweakwhorejustlike yourmother_) or one of _his_ officers.

There are at least eight of those, before he's rescued from the cell underneath Independence Hall. So, naturally, he's a little leery of Tom's offer. And the oddly-shaped tub he's being invited to join Tom in.

Tom likes being clean, Danny knows. He just doesn't understand why the man isn't using the perfectly serviceable tub upstairs. It doesn't make sense; neither, of course, does the wood-burner under the platform holding the tub. It's probably something related to the pre-blackout days, since Major Neville likes those so much.

Neville finally gets tired of Danny just standing there, staring uncomprehendingly at him, and pulls him in. Danny squeaks as he goes under, and resurfaces with a cough, wiping wet strands of hair out of his face.

Danny glares as the captain smiles at him, but it doesn't hold for long. As Neville wraps his arms around the teen's shoulders—mostly to keep him from leaving, but also to keep his head above water if Danny falls asleep—Danny curls closer to his protector.

"Good boy," Neville murmurs into Danny's hair. Danny nuzzles Neville's shoulder, not sure if he's supposed to reply. The captain just runs his hand through Danny's hair, telling the teen another story about the pre-blackout world and hot tubs.

Alright, maybe this will be alright.

- o – o -

So, what did you think? Good? Bad? Don't Neville and Danny make an adorable couple? Drop a line and let me know.

*This came from a conversation on tumblr. It's not quite what the original prompter asked for, but... Short notice with a cold.

Edit 10/27/2012: Neville's rank has been changed to reflect Monday night's episode. Information from a new preview.


End file.
